1.6 million Wisconsin residents get their drinking water from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, so why are we not doing more to protect this freshwater resource from continuous PFAS contamination? Read the full story by The Capital Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-pfas
A group surveys a site along the East River in Green Bay that was hardest hit by flooding in 2019. Photo: Lamont Smith, The Nature Conservancy
Since 2020, the East River Collaborative has demonstrated that it takes a village—and coordination between municipalities, state and federal government, nonprofits and universities—to improve water quality and flood resilience at the watershed level.
“It’s very challenging for municipalities to work across boundaries with other municipalities,” said Julia Noordyk, water quality and coastal communities outreach specialist with Wisconsin Sea Grant. Noordyk works alongside partners at The Nature Conservancy and NEW Water (the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District) on a core team that provides coordination and technical assistance to communities in the East River watershed.
“Every community is extremely different, and we’re not there to tell them what to do,” said Noordyk. Municipalities in the watershed span the rural-urban spectrum and vary in population, budget size and capacity.
“We’re there to listen and to figure out how to help them achieve flood resiliency based on what their community’s goals are.”
The 40-mile-long East River spans three counties in northeastern Wisconsin—Calumet, Manitowoc and Brown—and passes through agricultural, suburban and urban landscapes before it meets the Fox River and empties into the Bay of Green Bay. Historic flooding in March 2019 resulted in 50 houses being condemned and spurred the creation of the East River Collaborative the following year.
Since that time, the collaborative has worked with communities to identify shared goals across the watershed and developed maps and models to visualize flooding impacts. Now, with a new wave of grant funding, the collaborative is moving to the next phase: developing an implementation plan to identify and prioritize new projects.
Volunteers replace turf grass with native plants along the East River in Ledgeview. Photo credit: Stephanie Schlag, town of Ledgeview
To help communities make these decisions, the East River Collaborative team is building a new tool to evaluate how well different nature-based solutions capture, slow and clean stormwater on the landscape. Nature-based solutions include practices like planting native plants, using rain barrels, building agricultural runoff storage systems and stabilizing streambanks.
Even though the tool is still in the planning stages, communities aren’t waiting to get local projects off the ground.
At the fourth annual East River Collaborative Winter Forum in February, partners gathered virtually to share their work restoring wetlands, removing invasive species, planting pollinator plants and designing canoe/kayak launches for the East River water trail—among many other projects.
“[The implementation plan] has really been a catalyst for other communities to think about this and start moving forward on resiliency themselves,” said Noordyk.
Another goal of the implementation phase is to build relationships with underserved residents who are likely to experience flooding and need the most support to recover from it due to factors like income, language and age.
A federal grant from NOAA Digital Coast will allow partners to connect with and learn from other municipalities that have worked with underserved communities on similar projects. The team is also pursuing funding for a survey that will gather residents’ feedback on strategies to prepare for and reduce flooding.
Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant coastal engineering specialist and member of the East River Collaborative core team, is particularly excited to work with partners on establishing a flood warning system for the river.
“We worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service and other partners to figure out what needs to happen so that the Weather Service can start putting together a forecast model,” said Bechle.
Both he and Noordyk said it’s been encouraging to see communities’ sustained interest in working together on these issues, even when flooding isn’t an imminent threat.
“We still have the same number of people showing up to meetings as when we kicked off,” said Bechle.
The East River Collaborative has been funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Fund for Lake Michigan and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. To learn more, visit the East River Collaborative’s website.
The post Northeastern Wisconsin communities build flood resilience at the local and watershed level first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/northeastern-wisconsin-communities-build-flood-resilience-at-the-local-and-watershed-level/
Application deadline: June 30, 2024 | Download PDF
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) are seeking an experienced ecologist with conservation and restoration expertise for a shared position between the two agencies. This position will work under a joint GLC and USGS GLSC team to advance specific outcomes in GLC’s Action Plan for a Resilient Great Lakes Basin (Action Plan) and related efforts within GLSC’s Restoration and Conservation (ReCon) Science Branch. Resilience is a priority for the GLC and a key goal of its strategic plan. The GLC and its partners developed the Action Plan to provide a foundation for regional coordination around climate resilience. This position is designed to support coastal ecosystem resiliency efforts and foster the development of strategic tools and practical on-the-ground actions. The work will involve close coordination with a variety of federal, state, and university partners with vested interest in these topics.
The ecologist will primarily be responsible for developing a science-based framework for understanding how to build healthy and resilient coastal ecosystems that can adapt to changing conditions and climate-related stressors. This work will give special attention to elucidating economic, ecological, and social return on investment of restoration and conservation activities within nearshore and coastal ecosystems; providing rationale for when and where to use nature-based solutions to accomplish climate resilience; valuing ecosystem services; and/or bridging with indigenous knowledge systems where appropriate. [65%]
Other responsibilities include:
Ideal candidates will have at least a Master of Science degree in a related field and four or more years applied academic or professional experience addressing climate related scientific issues. Additional qualifications include:
This is a full-time, two-year term position. The salary for this position is $70,000. Benefits include paid time off, flexible schedule, and medical, dental, and vision insurance. Desired start date: August 1, 2024.
This position is located at the USGS GLSC Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station (LMERS) in Chesterton, Indiana. LMERS is located within, and shares a close relationship with, the Indiana Dunes National Park. Some telework may be considered. This position requires periodic travel between Chesterton, Indiana, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and occasional travel to meetings and workshops around the Great Lakes region.
Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume stating their interest in and qualifications for the position in a single PDF emailed to vacancy@glc.org. Please use the subject line “Ecologist.” All required items must be provided for an application to receive consideration. No phone calls, please.
The Great Lakes Commission is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
The USGS Great Lakes Science Center exists to provide scientific information for restoring, enhancing, managing and protecting living resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes region. The GLSC is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has biological stations and research vessels located across the Great Lakes basin. The Restoration and Conservation Science Branch maintains scientific expertise in coastal wetland restoration; wetland and terrestrial plant ecology; invasive species biology and adaptive management approaches; landscape ecology, assessment, and conservation design; microbiological processes and eDNA; terrestrial coastal migration; and harmful and nuisance algal blooms.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Great Lakes Commission strives to create an inclusive, diverse and non-discriminatory workplace. The Great Lakes Commission is an equal opportunity employer; the Great Lakes Commission complies with applicable federal, state and local laws prohibiting discrimination. It is Great Lakes Commission policy that no person shall be discriminated against, as an employee or applicant for employment, because of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/position-available-ecologist-2024
In an innovative approach to addressing uranium mining's impact in the Grand Canyon region, the U.S. Geological Survey has released a visually stunning fact sheet that combines the power of art and science.
Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Upper Midwest Water Science Center
https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/art-illuminates-grand-canyon-exploring-environmental-puzzle?utm_source=comms&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news
For Madison’s Jane Elder, the timing was optimal when she launched a career in environmental activism. She was coming of age and interested in the environment in the early 1970s. At the same time, interest in the environment was “blossoming” as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established and the Clean Water Act became federal law.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/wisconsins-jane-elder-chronicles-personal-and-professional-great-lakes-journey-in-new-book/
Current watches, warnings, and advisories for Brown County (WIC009) WI
Current watches, warnings, and advisories for Brown County (WIC009) WI
https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.3f4d1c9eb5fc1c7d5bc422003c3d6e1ccff006f6.001.1.cap
The United States Coast Guard says hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel spilled into Lake Superior on Wednesday morning, May 29. The Coast Guard estimates the quantity of the spill to be around 300 gallons, and it is now contained. The clean-up effort is still in effect as of May 30, and it’s unclear how long it will take. Read the full story by WCCO-TV – Minneapolis, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-oil-spill
Within the Great Lakes watershed there are 23 nuclear power plants, four sites for mining uranium, six for uranium processing and 12 places where nuclear waste is stored. An interactive map shows all the nuclear power operations within the Great Lakes watershed. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-nuclear-sites
A piping plover egg has been spotted at Montrose Beach in Chicago and could hatch within the next month. The egg is a culmination of yearslong efforts by nature groups to boost the Great Lakes piping plover population, which has been listed as federally endangered since 1986. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-plover-egg-spotting
In 2019, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine started a program called H2Ohio to encourage farmers to change the way they manage farm runoff to slow down the entry of phosphates into the Maumee River watershed. Currently, 2,600 producers have enrolled in the H2Ohio program, covering 1.8 million farm acres working to prevent heavy rain from washing out fertilizer and soil. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-nutrient-pollution-program
Michigan’s Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week is back, running from June 1 to June 9 to celebrate the connection between water and wellness in the state. Free fishing weekend will take place from June 8 to June 9, and the Library of the Great Lakes is offering two free books through their inaugural Great Lakes, Great Read program. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-freshwater-week
The city of Highland Park, Michigan, has been grappling with a water debt crisis for years, owing millions of dollars to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA). In October 2023, a tentative deal was reached between GLWA and Highland Park to end the dispute, but the agreement is still unsettled and needs approval from all parties involved. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-water-debt
Great Lakes Tribes are reviving the population of wild rice, or manoomin, an ecologically important wetland species, after two centuries of decline. Today, rising temperatures threaten the rice’s future because the seeds are supposed to grow while submerged in snow and ice, but the lack of snow coverage has made that difficult. Read the full story by The Cool Down.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-manoomin-restoration
In Oneida County, Wisconsin, Crescent Lake has an adequate adult population of walleye, but stakeholders are concerned about the lack of juvenile fish. While reproduction typically fluctuates, with a strong generation every three to four years, reproduction from those adult walleyes within the lake hasn’t been recorded for the last six years. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-walleye-reproduction
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 2025, open water swimmers will have an opportunity to participate in a 17-stage, 411-mile relay swim from Lake Superior, where the shipwreck lies, to Detroit, the ship’s intended destination. Read the full story by WSTM-TV – Syracuse, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-shipwreck-journey
A path to a beach on northern Lake Michigan. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
With the unusually warm winter this year, swimsuit season might be approaching earlier than previous ones. With recreational beach season comes the scientific testing to ensure beaches are safe for the public. An estimated 8 million people visit Great Lakes beaches every year. Unfortunately, because traditional testing methods take 18-24 hours to process, information used to evaluate water quality and communicate health risks is generally a day old, meaning swimmers might be recreating when conditions aren’t safe. On the other hand, swimmers could be kept out of the water at times when no problems exist.
An analysis published in 2014* determined that nearly one in five decisions to post or remove swim advisories were made in error in the Great Lakes (between 2008 and 2010), including nearly 3,000 unnecessary advisories/closures and at least 4,500 missed advisories or closures.
A free Windows software developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named Virtual Beach addresses these shortcomings by providing beach managers with timely and cost-effective alternatives to traditional monitoring. It can help them to decide whether to issue (or lift) swim advisories/closures on a given day.
By using the software to build a model, users can predict water quality conditions at any time, on both sampled and non-sampled beaches that are monitored on the Great Lakes Coasts.
With a grant from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Sea Grant has updated video tutorials that accompany six training modules for the Virtual Beach software and created a training course that can be completed at any time via the Canvas platform. Beach managers can use it to familiarize themselves with the software.
“While our Virtual Beach training modules have been available for several years, the decommissioning of the data service EnDDaT limited their usability. Our new course explains how to collect the data needed to build a Virtual Beach model without EnDDaT and allows beach managers to go through Virtual Beach training on their own time,” said Natalie Chin, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s climate and tourism outreach specialist.
Chin worked with Madeline Magee with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Casey Garhart with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension’s Instructional Design Unit to develop training materials. If you are interested in completing Virtual Beach training, please contact Natalie at nchin5@wisc.edu.
The Virtual Beach software was developed by the U.S. EPA’s Ecosystem Research Division, in partnership with the USGS Wisconsin Water Science Center, the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Sea Grant.
* Expanded Beach “Nowcast” Modeling Across Wisconsin, Adam Mednick and Dreux Watermolen, Bureau of Science Services, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, August 2014.
The post Checking beach health virtually first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/checking-beach-health-virtually/
In case you missed it, here are highlights from the Upper Midwest Water Science Center's social media channels from March 1 - May 31, 2024. Follow us on social media, linked below!
Wisconsin
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-water-science-center/news/upper-midwest-water-science-center-spring-2024?utm_source=comms&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news
“Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A Grand Portage Ojibwe direct descendant, she lives in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her nonfiction books “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” and “Seven Aunts” were published 2019 and 2022, and the children’s story “A Family Tree” in 2024.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/nibi-chronicles-krishnas-quest-for-ticks/
Below are all products released by the Upper Midwest Water Science Center from March 1 through May 31, 2024.
Wisconsin
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-water-science-center/news/upper-midwest-water-science-center-products-5?utm_source=comms&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated a National Estuarine Research Reserve bordering Green Bay on Lake Michigan. It is the 31st national site along the Great Lakes, coastal states, and territories. Read the full story by Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-green-bay
A cross-border collaboration between stakeholders on both sides of the St. Mary’s River aims to further protect the Great Lakes by bolstering research into oil spills and their impacts upon freshwater environments. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-oil-spills
3rd Coast Cruising, a sailing academy, has helped hundreds of Chicagoans, many over the age of 50, discover new adventures on the lake. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-sailing-academy
A new study by researchers at the University of Indiana has broken down how PFAS circulates through the Great Lakes and shows that the so-called forever chemicals are building up in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-pfas-study
Before you head out, check this list of Michigan beaches closed or under contamination advisories for water quality that’s unsafe or questionable for human contact. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-michigan-beaches
Both state and federal organizations are working to keep Lake Erie and surrounding streams healthy, but an invasive species called the sea lamprey threatens local ecosystems. Many groups are involved in making sure sea lampreys are held in check and they’re bringing in more measures to combat them in west Erie County, Pennsylvania. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-invasive-species
Yellow perch used to be a common catch in Saginaw Bay and people would come to Michigan’s Thumb from all over to fish for them. Now, the population is dwindling and the DNR is working to boost their numbers. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-perch-numbers
The David R. Obey Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center near Ashland, Wisconsin, will be closed to the public from June 3 to June 29. During this time, the Center parking lot and entrance drive will be re-paved. Read the full story by the Ashland Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-visitor-center
It will likely be a few more weeks before anything is physically done on site about the Black River Canal gate since winter floods damaged it and rendered the waterway impassable to boaters this season. However, city officials in Port Huron, Michigan, said that a host of preparations are going on behind the scenes. Read the full story by the Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-canal-gate
The state of Michigan said it’s willing to step in and oversee property repairs at 1,900 homes in Flint where water pipes have been inspected or replaced but the grounds remain a mess. In March, the City of Flint was found in civil contempt by a judge after blowing past deadlines to get the work done, years after a water switch in 2014 caused lead to leach off old pipes, spoiling the drinking water system. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-flint-properties
Image by David Nevala
In show of sibling pride on the occasion of the 60th anniversary year of the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, here’s some background about this sister program that is housed along with our Sea Grant Program in the Aquatic Sciences Center at UW-Madison.
On July 17, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Water Resources Research Act to establish a water resources research institute in each state and Puerto Rico. The program was later expanded to include the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The Congress has found that we have entered a period in which acute water shortages are hampering our industries, our agriculture, our recreation and our individual health and happiness,” Johnson said.
The 54 institutes are charged with undertaking multidisciplinary water research. They are a federal-state partnership, with federal funds coming through the U.S. Geological Survey and providing dollars to support two tracks, a core grant to each individual program and then a pot of money to annually use for national research competitions to address timely challenges. In Wisconsin, state funding through the Groundwater Coordinating Council also supports WRI.
Johnson’s statement continued, “The new centers will be concerned with municipal and regional, as well as national water problems. Their ready accessibility to state and local officials will permit each problem to be attacked on an individual basis, the only way in which complex characteristics of each water deficiency can be resolved.” Johnson also noted that centers, such as Wisconsin’s, “will enlist the intellectual power of universities and research institutes in a nationwide effort to conserve and utilize our water resources for the common benefit.”
Decades later, WRI continues to embody those 1964 presidential words. It has funded more than 140 research projects, including marquee issues as naturally occurring radium in southeastern Wisconsin. WRI research on those aquifers informed the first-ever binational approval of Great Lakes water withdrawals by a community outside of the basin. Waukesha secured that permission in 2016 because its own supplies were dwindling and contaminated.
Other WRI work has explored the long-term balance between water users in the Central Sands Region of Wisconsin. The scarcity of water in the area creates a tug between those wishing to use it for agriculture and those seeing reduced surface water levels, meaning sporting and recreational opportunities could be compromised.
More contemporary research priorities have been examining PFAS in the state’s waters, the effect of climate change on resources and assessing the extent and impact of pathogens in drinking water.
WRI also recruits and trains the next generation of water leaders. Throughout its history, more than 1,250 students have been trained by working on research projects.
“We are incredibly proud of the students and the work supported by WRI these past 60 years. At the same time, we know that water issues remain critical throughout the state. We look forward to supporting innovative and impactful research in Wisconsin,” WRI Interim Director Christy Remucal said.
The post Happy anniversary, sister first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/happy-anniversary-sister/
The age of Earth’s water has been estimated at 4.5 billion years. While 60 pales in comparison to that astounding age, the work of the National Institutes for Water Resources network — celebrating its sexennial anniversary in 2024 — is critical for the resource’s stewardship.
On July 17, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Water Resources Research Act to establish a water resources research institute in each state and Puerto Rico. The program was later expanded to include the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The Congress has found that we have entered a period in which acute water shortages are hampering our industries, our agriculture, our recreation and our individual health and happiness,” Johnson said.
The 54 institutes are charged with undertaking multidisciplinary water research. They are a federal-state partnership, with federal funds coming through the U.S. Geological Survey and providing dollars to support two tracks, a core grant to each individual program and also a pot of money to annually use for national research competitions to address timely challenges.
In Wisconsin, the state’s statutorily funded Groundwater Coordinating Council also supports the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute. The WRI is a program of the Universities of Wisconsin and is housed on the flagship campus in Madison.
At the time of the centers’ enactment, Johnson’s statement continued, “The new centers will be concerned with municipal and regional, as well as national water problems. Their ready accessibility to state and local officials will permit each problem to be attacked on an individual basis, the only way in which complex characteristics of each water deficiency can be resolved.” Johnson also noted that centers, such as Wisconsin’s, “will enlist the intellectual power of universities and research institutes in a nationwide effort to conserve and utilize our water resources for the common benefit.”
Decades later, WRI continues to embody those 1964 presidential words. It has funded more than 140 research projects, including marquee issues like naturally occurring radium in southeastern Wisconsin. WRI research on those aquifers informed the first-ever binational approval of Great Lakes water withdrawals by a community outside of the basin. Waukesha secured that permission in 2016 because its own supplies were dwindling and contaminated.
Other WRI work has explored the long-term balance between water users in the Central Sands Region of Wisconsin. The scarcity of water in the area creates a tug between those wishing to use it for agriculture and those seeing reduced surface water levels, meaning sporting and recreational opportunities could be compromised.
More contemporary research priorities have been examining PFAS in the state’s waters, the effect of climate change on resources and assessing the extent and impact of pathogens in drinking water.
WRI Associate Director Jennifer Hauxwell said, “In a state so enriched with water, we have no shortage of water challenges, including water quality challenges statewide due to excessive nutrients or contaminants, water quantity challenges related to scarcity in some parts of the state and flooding in other parts. WRI’s investment in research helps us better identify and understand these challenges and evaluate management solutions to these challenges. We have a long history of working closely with Wisconsin communities to address their challenges and to connect researchers to real-world Wisconsin water issues.
“We are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve as this bridge for the past 60 years and look forward to the next 60,” she concluded.
WRI also recruits and trains the next generation of water leaders. Throughout its history, more than 1,250 students have been trained by working on research projects.
Further, WRI has established a transformative fellowship program. It partners with state agencies to mentor post-graduates who provide cutting-edge knowledge while gaining skills early in their careers. One of the current fellows is Sarah Gravlee. She works in water science policy for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. She said, “I like working at the intersection between water and public health. I’ve enjoyed fielding questions from the public about water contaminants, sitting in on meetings about newly identified water contamination, and assisting in projects focusing on reducing Wisconsin’s environmental health hazards. I’ve learned a lot.”
Also learning a lot have been the three, and counting, cohorts of undergraduate summer research scholars. It’s a program called the Freshwater@UW Summer Research Opportunities and links researchers who have been funded through WRI, and other grant programs, to competitively selected students from across the nation.
“We are incredibly proud of the students and the work supported by WRI these past 60 years. At the same time, we know that water issues remain critical throughout the state. We look forward to supporting innovative and impactful research in Wisconsin,” WRI Interim Director Christy Remucal said.
The post Celebrating WRI’s 60th anniversary year first appeared on WRI.News Release | WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/celebrating-wris-60th-anniversary-year/
Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.
This month, we spoke with Monica Lewis-Patrick, activist and president and CEO of We the People of Detroit.
Listen to the full interview
We the People of Detroit is a grassroots organization that works to empower Detroiters around key issues in the city, including access to clean water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/waves-of-change-meet-activist-and-we-the-people-of-detroit-president-monica-lewis-patrick/
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Plan prioritizes community health, along with ecosystem health, as well as actions to confront climate crisis, promote economic revitalization.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 29, 2024)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is supporting the EPA’s new draft five-year plan to oversee federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes and the interconnected waters that feed it – waters that more than 42 million people depend on for their drinking water, health, and quality of life.
“The EPA’s new plan charts a course for continued success in addressing threats to our Great Lakes, drinking water, and communities,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We are glad to see a strong EPA action plan that prioritizes ecosystem health alongside community health and the need to confront the climate crisis. Federal restoration investments have been producing results for communities across the region, yet serious threats remain. EPA has put forward a plan that can benefit the region’s environment and economy, and, importantly, help communities that have been hardest hit by pollution and environmental harm.”
The EPA’s draft “Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan IV,” once finalized, will prioritize federal actions to clean up toxic pollution, reduce farm and urban runoff, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and manage invasive species, in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, in comments submitted Friday to the agency on the draft plan, applauded the agency for the plan’s focus on community health alongside ecological health; commitment to community engagement; solutions that confront climate impacts; importance of local workforce development and economic revitalization; actions to benefit communities hardest hit by pollution and environmental harm; and equitable access to restoration benefits.
The Coalition also asked EPA to consider updating the plan to better address runoff pollution and help coastal communities adapt to climate impacts.
The action plan, which will run through fiscal years 2025-2029, is expected to be finalized by the start of government’s next fiscal year, which begins October 1. The plan guides the EPA oversight of federal funds allocated by the U.S. Congress through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Currently, the U.S. government invests more than $368 million per year to restore and protect the Great Lakes.
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and many of its members submitted recommendations for the EPA’s action plan last summer during a serious of public engagement sessions hosted by the agency. Many of those recommendations were accepted and integrated into the current draft plan.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 180 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.
Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes
Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes
https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/coalition-supports-epas-great-lakes-action-plan
By Melina Walling, Associated Press
In the world of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide gets most of the blame. But tiny organisms that flourish in the world’s farm fields emit a far more potent gas, nitrous oxide, and scientists have long sought a way to address it.
Now some researchers think they’ve found a bacteria that can help.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/researchers-find-a-tiny-organism-has-the-power-to-reduce-a-persistent-greenhouse-gas-in-farm-fields/
Officials in Toronto and many residents ask why the province of Ontario is turning a Lake Ontario waterfront park over to an Austrian spa operator. Read the full story by the New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-ontario-place
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
https://noaaglerl.blog/2024/05/29/glerl-director-deborah-lee-receives-lifetime-achievement-award-from-the-environmental-water-resources-institute-of-the-american-society-of-civil-engineers/
Kayakers and boaters heading out to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior will soon be able to check on real-time wave and temperature conditions on the water with the help of solar-powered smart buoys. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-smart-bouys
It’s no big secret that there’s a pollution problem in the Great Lakes. Plastic containers floating in the water or washed up on shore. However, the bigger threat to the lakes comes from the smaller plastic pollution — some of it smaller than you can see with the naked eye. Read the full story by Yahoo! News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-plasitc-pollution
Despite the decline in Lake Sturgeon populations in the Great Lakes caused by overfishing and dam construction which limited access to spawning grounds, these fish have been able to recover in the Detroit River with the help of stocking programs and other regulations. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-sturgeon-recovery
A public-access beach in Arenac County, Michigan, is going on its fifth day of being closed for high bacteria levels. This is the eleventh time this has happened since 2003. Read the full story by WNEM – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-beach-bacteria
In New York state, SUNY Oswego has announced the formation of a new institute to promote a greater understanding and awareness of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-oswego-institute
Great Lakes maritime transport brings in thousands of tons of crucial materials for infrastructure projects, but massive freighters also carry a threat to the health of the waterway. Read the full story by Bridge Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-invasive-species-transport
The combination of heat and storms is increasing Great Lakes basin residents’ exposure to a host of health threats, from waterborne pathogens that formerly couldn’t survive this far north, to bacteria-laden sewer overflows and toxic algae blooms. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-warming-threats
Researchers and bird enthusiasts are working to better understand and limit bird causalities in the Great Lakes region. Some reasons for the recent increase in causalities include diseases like bird flu and botulism in addition to collisions with buildings and cars and outdoor cats. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-great-lakes-birds
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be hosting an information session for residents to learn more about the recommended plan to create a barrier against the invasive sea lamprey in Conneaut Creek in Albion. The meeting will be held on Thursday, May 30 from 5:30-7 p.m. Read the full story by Erie News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-sea-lamprey-barrier
By Michael Livingston, Interlochen Public Radio
Points North is a biweekly podcast about the land, water and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
October 15, 1900 was a dark day for a small group of Native Americans near the tip of Michigan’s lower peninsula.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/points-north-a-struggle-for-justice/
Current watches, warnings, and advisories for Brown County (WIC009) WI
Current watches, warnings, and advisories for Brown County (WIC009) WI
https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.b7bbef0d923d0eef245b12e2cf58a66b5772219f.001.1.cap
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan and Lester Graham, Michigan Public
Bill Gurn isn’t sure how he got the mosquito bite that nearly killed him in the autumn of 2019.
He’s an avid fisherman. Maybe on the water? Or it could have happened while he was tinkering in his garage or yard.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/in-warming-great-lakes-region-water-heat-can-be-an-unhealthy-combination/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/052124_SevereStormSummary1
Brenna and her dog planned to visit all of Wisconsin’s state parks in a year.
Brenna Spear went to college for something she loved, but when she graduated, there were no full-time jobs in her field. She had to rethink how to include her love of nature in her life.
Brenna grew up on a hobby farm near Omro and was outside all the time — climbing trees, running through cornfields, and caring for the animals. “I was always tromping around in puddles and stuff,” she said. She took all the ag and plant classes the high school offered.
So it wasn’t a huge surprise that Brenna decided to study forestry in college. After graduation, she was excited to get into the work. “But they were not hiring when I graduated.”
After dabbling with some different contract work and part-time jobs, her dad encouraged her to come home and work for a good company outside of her chosen field. Brenna found a good job, but it was not what she had planned. With a job inside, sitting in an office, being outside became an after-work hobby.
Working mostly nights, Brenna needed a way to be active (and outside) during the day. She also needed to find a way to help her dog be active. So she and her pup set out to visit all of the Wisconsin State Parks in a single year.
“They’re all my favorite!” Brenna declared. But seeing so many great parks opened her eyes to the fact that there were amazing outdoor spaces closer to home. “I challenged myself to get outside more without having to drive many hours,” she said.
For several years now, Brenna has been doing just that with the annual Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup. The first year she did it by herself, but lately “I’ve been stealing friends to do it with me. It makes it really fun to bring co-workers and their families.”
It turns out, the cleanup combined Brenna’s longing to be outside with her desire to be more involved with the community.
Ironically, it was through her non-forestry job that she first heard about the cleanup. Her employer actively promotes volunteerism, giving employees time and information, but also matching their donations of both time and money.
Brenna figured out how to make the most of this system and looks forward to the cleanup every year.
“I’m starting to recognize faces at the Cleanup,” Brenna said. “I don’t really know them, but people are nice. Everyone is there for a common purpose. And Fox-Wolf staff do a great job connecting with others.”
Brenna readily sees the connection between her time cleaning up trash and her time visiting the state parks.
“I want to visit them all again in 20-30 years to see how it changes. I hope there will be more parks, more green space, more opportunities for people to be out in nature and find their spot.”
Brenna hopes that not just for herself, but for you as well. She likes helping others find their favorite spots. “You have to set yourself up for success,” she advised. “Find the right thing that brings you joy, so that you will enjoy it. And get a snack first.”
Watershed Moments is a publication of Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, sharing the stories of how your donations have impacted lives in our community. Read our latest project updates, make a secure online donation, or become a member at www.fwwa.org
The post Watershed Moments: Finding Joy appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
https://fwwa.org/2024/05/28/watershed-moments-finding-joy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=watershed-moments-finding-joy
